Reverse image search on the Internet has been around for years. Thanks to these types of search engines we can find out when a photo was uploaded to the Internet for the first time , or find out if someone is benefiting from our art behind our backs. Something we can check using Google Images or web tools like TinEye .
However, if we have been using the Google search engine for some time, we will have realized that it works worse and worse when searching for and comparing images . Why? Plain and simple, because the seeker censors himself. Especially when it comes to finding similarities in images where people appear.
Let’s think for a moment: suppose you’ve had an argument with a guy on the street. Imagine now that that stranger takes a picture of you and uploads it to Google Images. If the search engine’s facial recognition algorithm worked as it should -something they have already shown they can do safely in Google Photos- , this complete stranger could see your photos on social networks, know your name and surnames, see your LinkedIn profile, know where do you work… and a long etcetera. Any image where your face appears. The perfect recipe to promote harassment and unpleasant situations in general.
To avoid this, what Google does is search for similar images, based on the overall look or concept of the photo . For example, if you appear in the photo with a dog and playing the guitar, Google will show results of people playing the guitar and with a dog next to them.
How to find your double on the Internet by doing a reverse search: reasonable similarities
But there are other search engines that do not have as many considerations in this regard, and they do allow this type of “facial search” on the Internet. This is the case of Yandex, the largest search engine in Russia and the fourth in the world. Its image browser is called CBIR, and what it does is divide an image into segments or “visual phrases”. It then compares millions of images and displays those that contain the highest number of similar “sight phrases”.
With this we can not only find pages where photos that we uploaded years ago and that we had already forgotten appear. It also works amazingly well for discovering people who are a lot like us . Call them clones, doubles or lost twins. One of these searches in Yandex can leave us with a twisted ass in less than a minute (you can try it HERE ).
So that we can see the difference between the Yandex algorithm and the Google algorithm, I have taken a photo that I had stored on my PC and uploaded it to Google Images.
As you can see, Google has seen that it is a selfie, and as the first result it has shown the definition of selfie on Wikipedia. The similar images that appear a little further down are of totally random people who have nothing to do with me.
Now, what will Yandex tell me if I upload that same image to its image search engine? Here things get more interesting . Some people look a lot like me, while others share some of my most characteristic facial features like nose, eyes, mouth, hairstyle and more. Among the images shown there is even one in which I appear myself.
Yandex results ignore the fact that it is a selfie, and it will look for a direct resemblance to what is shown in the image. In this case, my face.
Here I directly appear myself among the search results. Take it now! 100% accurate.
It is still a bit scary to see what can already be achieved with this type of tool. The truth is that it should make us all think about the consequences for privacy that uploading photos to the Internet can have, especially when they are photos where other people also appear.
In any case, if we don’t give it much importance, we can always spend a pleasant time looking for our perfect double on the Internet. Who knows, maybe we have a billionaire twin brother on the other side of the world, and we’re here wasting our time.
Gradient, the app that looks for your famous twin
Gradient is an app that went viral a little over a year ago. It is a selfie editor, with the typical tools to retouch the color, apply filters and things like that. However, its star functionality is the one that tells you what celebrity you look like , making a transformation in 4 steps, turning your face into that of your celebrity twin.
DischargeQR code
Gradient: Face Beauty Editor
Developer: TICKET TO THE MOON, INC.
Price: Free
Although it is quite a fun utility, we must clarify that the Gradient application as such is only a photo editor in its free version. If we want to activate the “What celebrity do you look like?” we will have to activate the free trial period of the premium version of Gradient.
You have to be very careful, because after 3 days the paid version is automatically activated, charging us between $4.99 per week or $19.99 per month. And be careful, because to cancel the subscription it is necessary to notify us 24 hours in advance, otherwise, they will also charge us (something quite rogue considering that the trial version only lasts 3 days).
Test to find out what celebrity you look like
If we prefer to stay away from applications like Gradient, we can also try one of the numerous quizzes or personality tests that can be found on the internet on sites like THIS or THIS other. It’s all a matter of answering a series of questions and they will tell us which actor, singer, celebrity or famous model is most like us in the psychological aspect and in the way of being.
Incredible!
PS: Well, it turns out that I’ve done the first test that I just linked to you and it says that I’m just like Robert Downey Jr. I don’t know if it’s very accurate, because the truth is I don’t think I look anything like the fabulous and billionaire Mr. Tony Stark , but hey… you guys try it and if you don’t like what it says you can always have a good laugh with the results.
Let’s go one step further: deepfakes
Until now we have talked about doubles or twins with the same physical traits in real life , but what if we put the Artificial Intelligence of a machine in the equation? Then we would be talking about deepfakes or manipulated images, so well made that they can hardly be distinguished from reality .
In this way we can take a photo with our face and replace it with the face of a famous person in one of their videos. For example, we can use an app like REFACE and put ourselves in the shoes of Jared Leto, Black Panther or Ariana Grande. The truth is that these types of applications have become very easy to use, and they deliver simply amazing results.
You can see how to make a deepfake from your mobile by taking a look at THIS OTHER TUTORIAL . In that tutorial we used the REFACE app, but you can also find other alternative tools to create deepfakes HERE .
You see, if you do not find any double of yours searching the internet you can always “make” one and become the double twins of your favorite characters or celebrities . Which is not bad at all and is highly entertaining.
Create an “anonymous” double of yourself
Speaking of Artificial Intelligences, there are also tools that can do things as curious as creating a double of ourselves , but with enough differentiating features to make it look like another person. That’s what web applications like Anonymizer do , whose algorithm allows us to create hyper-realistic anonymous versions of any selfie we upload to the application.
The objective of this application is that we can create profile photos for our social networks in order to build an anonymous online presence and have greater privacy. To do this, it generates an image similar enough to us so that we feel comfortable with our avatar. Of course the new image is of a person who does not exist.